Prior to learning to read, children need to understand that letters make sounds, and that the sounds are paired with a specific letter. This understanding is referred to as phonemic awareness and it is a crucial precursor to reading. The following activities will help practice phonemic awareness skills in a fun and natural way.
Play rhyming games - say two words that rhyme (cat, sat) and ask your child to say a word that rhymes with your words. Take turns. Ask your child to say a word and then you respond with a rhyming word.
Take turns thinking of two words that begin with the same sound - mom and moon: dog and door.
Play the "say it fast" game - Say a word, one sound at a time and have your child say the word at a normal rate. For example, you say each sound in the word cat, "/c/ /a/ /t/." Then your child says the word a the normal speed, "cat". Play this game with about five to ten short words each day.
Play the "say it slowly" game - Say a word at a normal rate and then have your child say that same word slowly, one sound at a time. For example, say the word, "mat". Your child says the word one sound at a time /m/ /a/ /t/. Play this game with about five to ten short words each day.
Play the "drop the sound" game - Say a word and ask your child to repeat it without the initial sound. For example, ask your child to say "mop" without the /m/. Your child says "op".
The following activities involve additional skills that support phonemic awareness and are also important to the development of reading.
Using flash cards, review the names of letters. Form a stack of about 10 letters, including both capital and lowercase letters, making sure they are not sequential. Have your child read them as quickly as possible. Replace known letters with new ones periodically.
Practice the sounds of letters. This can be either oral, where you ask your child to tell you the sound of "d" or it can be visual, with your child looking at a letter and telling you the sound. It is essential that your child "clip" the sounds as he or she makes them. For example, encourage your child to say "mmm", not "muh" and "fff", not "fuh". It may help to have your child whisper the sound.
Phonemic Awareness at Home
Prior to learning to read, children need to understand that letters make sounds, and that the sounds are paired with a specific letter. This understanding is referred to as phonemic awareness and it is a crucial precursor to reading. The following activities will help practice phonemic awareness skills in a fun and natural way.
Play rhyming games - say two words that rhyme (cat, sat) and ask your child to say a word that rhymes with your words. Take turns. Ask your child to say a word and then you respond with a rhyming word.
Take turns thinking of two words that begin with the same sound - mom and moon: dog and door.
Play the "say it fast" game - Say a word, one sound at a time and have your child say the word at a normal rate. For example, you say each sound in the word cat, "/c/ /a/ /t/." Then your child says the word a the normal speed, "cat". Play this game with about five to ten short words each day.
Play the "say it slowly" game - Say a word at a normal rate and then have your child say that same word slowly, one sound at a time. For example, say the word, "mat". Your child says the word one sound at a time /m/ /a/ /t/. Play this game with about five to ten short words each day.
Play the "drop the sound" game - Say a word and ask your child to repeat it without the initial sound. For example, ask your child to say "mop" without the /m/. Your child says "op".
The following activities involve additional skills that support phonemic awareness and are also important to the development of reading.
Alphabet cards available at:
http://www.reading-with-kids.com/support-files/uppercaseabccards.pdf
http://www.reading-with-kids.com/support-files/lowercaseabccards.pdf
Using flash cards, review the names of letters. Form a stack of about 10 letters, including both capital and lowercase letters, making sure they are not sequential. Have your child read them as quickly as possible. Replace known letters with new ones periodically.
Practice the sounds of letters. This can be either oral, where you ask your child to tell you the sound of "d" or it can be visual, with your child looking at a letter and telling you the sound. It is essential that your child "clip" the sounds as he or she makes them. For example, encourage your child to say "mmm", not "muh" and "fff", not "fuh". It may help to have your child whisper the sound.